Vacuum extractor



Nov. 2; 1937. J. D. HUNTER ET AL VACUUM EXTRACTOR Filed Jan. 14, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet l I H\| a; iii I IIJHM \w I w v I [M m Q N 7 J. D. HUNTEREl AL v 2,098,044

I VACUUM EXTRACTOR Filed Jan 14, 1937 2 Sheets-=Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 2,1937 UNITED STATES PATENT 'OFFICE VACUUM EXTRACTOR ApplicationJanuarybl, 1937, Serial No. 120,637

7 Claims.

The invention relates to vacuum extractors, which are used in clothfinishing operations and in other connections to suck-water and othersolutions and liquids out of-web materials while traveling in spread-outrelation.

The efficiency of the action of the vacuum extractor in removing thewater or other liquid more or less completely from the fabric isproportional to the velocity of the flow of the air through the fabric.High velocity necessitates'a fairly high degree of vacuum. Onlight-weight fabrics the resistance of the cloth to the passage of theair therethrough is so slight that the degree of vacuum needed forproper extraction cannot be built up if the slot or suction port acrosswhich the fabric is passed for extraction has any great degree of width.On the other hand, heavy weight fabrics offer considerable resistance tothe flow of the air therethrough-an'd therefore permit the building upof a high vacuum even with the .use of arelatively wide slot. Thus'onthese heavy weight fabrics it is'poss'ibleand desirable to have a widerslot than thatneeded for lightweight fabrics, so that each' unit of areaof the fabric will be subjected to the flow of air through it for agreater period of time than would be pos-' sible in the-case of a narrow'slot, and thus will be more thoroughly dr'ied. It thus is desirable, inthe extracting of liquids from different weights of fabrics, to utilizethe widest possible slot which iscompatiblewith-the maintenance ofadequate vacuum to insure ample velocity through the given thickness offabric.

Since it is not practicable for obvious reasons either to change thecapacity of the vacuum pump or to run it efiiciently at other than itsrated capacity, efficiency and economy have been sacrificed in favorofsimplicity, and asingle width of-slot connected with a Vacuum pump offixed capacity has been made to do duty throughout a wide range offabric weights, as no very useful means of doing otherwise wasavailable.

In order to make it possible to adapt the width of the slot of a vacuumextractor more or less closely to that best fitting the capacityof thevacuum'pump with respect to'any given weight of fabric, I have providedan extractor of this type inwhich there area plurality of slots ofdifferent widths, of which the most suitable one 5 may be brought intooperation upon the given fabric, while means'are provided for cuttingoff the inflow of air into the system through the slots which it is notdesired to use 'at such time.

1 .In the preferred form, though not necessarily,

the several slots cfdifierentwidths are made-in the same extractor tube,with provision for rotation of such tube upon its own axis to bring theselected slot into working relation with the fabric while being passedover such tube in contact therewith in spread-out relation, suchselection desiredly being made possible without detaching the extractortube from its operating and air-tight connection with the piping of thevacuum system' Cut-off means are provided to stop the flow of airthrough the unused slots, and in the preferred embodiment of the singletube having several slots of different widths such cut-off means isemployed to hold the tube against rotation and with its selected slot inoperative relation to the fabric.

Other aims and features of the invention are as will be made plainhereinafter.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the improved vac- 20uum extractor.

Fig. 2 is a View in elevation from the righthand end of Fig. 1, with thewheel which operates the sealing means removed.

Fig.3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, show- 25 ing the unused slotsfully sealed.

Fig. 4 is a corresponding view to Fig. 3, show ing the sealing means inpartially-applied relation.

Fig. 5 is a sectionon line 55 of Fig. 1, giv- 30 ing details of theend-seal for the slot.

Referring to the drawings:

. Theextractor tube I is rotatably mounted in bearings in connectionwith brackets 3, mounted on a channel-member or girth! suitably secured35 to blocks :9 which in turn are aflixed to angles ll attached tosupports l3. At the right-hand end, as viewed in Fig. l, the tube ismounted directly in a closely-fitting and correspondinglyshaped bearingin the bracket 3, and confined therein by a cap 5, the tube beingreduced near its end as indicated at Hi to form shoulders preventingendwise movement of the tube in its mounting. The other end of the tubeis also reduced as indicated at I1, and is seated within 45 theclosely-fitting counterbored inward end of a tubular member I9 forming apart of bracket 3. This member I9 is equipped with a flange 2|, to whichis bolted the end-member 23 of the vacuum pipe line attached to theintake port of the vacuum pump (not shown) which may be of any usual orpreferred type. I

As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the extractor tube is provided with aplurality of slots 20, 22, 24, or, more accurately speaking, a plurality5 both the continuous and the illustrated discon tinuous types of slot.In the present instance,

' the slots 20, 22, 24, or rows of slots,are three in number, disposedin equidistant relation about the circuit of the tube, and beingrespectively of large, small, and medium width.

In use, the tube is rotated about its axis to locate at top center theslot selected for use on a particular fabric to be extracted. For thispur pose the clean-out cap 2'! which is bolted to collar 29 threadedonto the end of the extractor tube' is provided with handles 3|coinciding in alignment'withthe several slots, and thereby quicklyindicating the position of the latter.

To close the slots which are not in use, in order.

to preventwaste of air or .vacuum, a trough 33'is disposed beneath theextractor tube, being fixed. to U-shaped members 35 which are screwedand pinned onto jack-screws 31 in screw-threaded engagement withtheinterior bores of bevel-gears 39 rotatably mounted by means of theirsleeves and collars 4| in bearings 43 fixed within the channel of girthI. A hand-wheel 45 on the outward .end of a shaft 41 journalled inbearings 49 also within the channel imparts rotation to the bevel-gearsto raise and lower the trough 33, by means of bevel pinions 5| fixed onshaft 41.

The two inclined walls of trough 33 are each recessed as indicated at53, Fig. 4, to receive sealing strips or packings 55 of proper length,breadth, and spacedrelation to be pressed against and thus to close andseal the two unused slots, herein 22 and 24, at the under side of theextractor tube, when the wheel is manipulated to force the trough upwardtoward the tube. These sealing strips are of rubber orother suitableimpervious material, and are so shaped either inherently or by nature oftheir engagement with the recess 53 that, as shown in Fig. 4, when notpressed against the tube they will present a concave surface toward thebottom of the recess 53 and a fiat or convex surface to the tube. Fig. 4shows the shape-relation of the sealing strips, during the raising ofthe trough as the sealing strips come into contact with the tube at andadjacent the two unused slots. As the raising of the trough continues,the strips are pressed fiat into their recesses 53 and their surfacestoward the tube conform to the surface of the tube, extending theirengagement over the full height of the strips as shown in Fig. 3, andefiectually sealing the unwanted slots completely over their fulllength.

The frictional engagement of the sealing strips 55 with the exterior ofthe extractor tube holds the tube in the selected position againstrotation under the pull'of the cloth or under vibration.

When a change in the nature of the fabric being extracted indicates theneed for a different width of slot, it requires only an instantsmanipulation to lower the trough by thehand-wheel and bring the-handle3| corresponding to the desired width of slot into topmost and verticalposition, whereupon the trough is again raised to seal the other slotsand fix the tube in working position;

an st For, sealing the unused excess length of the working slot, stripsof rubber or other suitable material 51 are fixed in the bases of theupward extensions 59 on brackets 3, with their inward ends attached bylight contracting springs 6| to the turned-up inward ends of U-sectionsupports 63 pivotally mounted for adjustment of their elevation abovethe tube by pivot-pins 65 and stop-screws 61, on arm 69 carried by rods1| sliding in hubs at the tops of extension 59.

* While we have illustrated and described a certain form in which theinvention may be embodied, we are aware that many modifications 'may bemade therein by any person skilled in the art, without departing fromthe scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, we donot wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the detailsof construction thereof, but

What we do claim is:

1. A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination meansdefining a vacuum chamber adapted to be connected to a vacuum pump andhaving a plurality of extracting slots of different widths, means forselectively bringing one of such slots into working relation with atraveling web, and means for, closing the remaining slots againstingress of air.

2. A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination anextractor tube adapted to. be connected to a vacuum pump and having aplurality of slots of diiferent widths at spaced intervals about itsperiphery, means providing for rotation of the tube to bring a selectedslot into working relation with a traveling web, and means for fixingthe tube in non-rotating operative position'and for closing theremaining slots against ingress of air. r

3. A vacuum extractor for 'web material having in combination anextractor tube adapted-tobe connected to a vacuum. pump and having aplurality of slots of different areas, means for selectively placing agiven slot in working relation with a traveling web, and means excludingall ingress of air into the tube except through the web.

4; A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination anextractor tube adapted to be connected to a vacuum pump, and having aplurality of slots of different areas, means for mounting the tube withcapacity for rotation to present a selected one of such slots to atraveling web, and means partially surrounding the tube to preventingress of air through the remaining slots.

5. A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination anextractor tube having a plurality of lengthwiseslots of different areasdisposed at spaced intervals about its periphery, the tube being adaptedto be attached to a vacuum pump, means supportingthe tube with capacityfor rotation about its axis, and means for simultaneously sealing allbutone of such slots, adapted to be alternatively advanced into sealingcontact with the tube along the latter slots and to be retracted out ofcontact with the tube to permit rotation of the tube. V a

6. A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination anextractor tube having a plurality of lengthwise slots of different areasdisposed at' spaced intervals about its periphery, and having one ofits-ends closed and the other open and adapted to be attached to avacuum pump, means supporting the tube with capacity for rotation aboutits axis, sealing elements for 76 all but one of the slots, supportingmeans for such sealing elements, and manually operable means forbringing such elements into sealing engagement with the slots in thetube and for retracting them therefrom.

7. A vacuum extractor for web material having in combination anextractor tube having a plurality of lengthwise slots of different areasdisposed at spaced intervals about its periphery, and having one of itsends closed and the other open and adapted to be attached to a vacuumpump, means supporting the tube with capacity for rotation about itsaxis, a trough fitting around the tube, sealing material in connectionwith the trough to close all but one of the slots, screw means toadvance and retract the trough and thus the sealing material into andout of contact with the tube adjacent the slots, bevel gears operatingthe screw means, and a hand-wheel and shaft driving the bevel gears.

JAMES D. HUNTER.

FRANK B. MORRILL.

